Start of the Fire
Start of the Fire(SotF) is a collaborative fanfiction written by GloryRainWing and Promisemaker the NightWing. Blurb A fire is spreading... '' ''The cold melts....the darkness burns... '' ''An ancient prophecy may have the answer... '' ''Seven dragonets... '' ''One cure... '' ''The quest has begun. Prologue The thick gray clouds spread over the arctic tundra, dusting the frozen permafrost in a new layer of snow. A cold wind shook the branches of the short, scrubby trees dotting the icy plain, growing steadily stronger as a blizzard brewed. The algid land was stormy and bitingly cold, snow and hail alike tumbling down from the dense cloudage. It was the last place in the world Pathteller would have chosen to be. Nunataks and crags jutted out of the snow, providing brief shelters for the black-scaled dragon, who, completely out of place against the snowy white landscape, forged ahead determinedly. Fierce gusts of wind nipped at her horns, but she trudged on, ignoring her exhaustion. Her talons numbed from the cold of the snow, and she shivered from snout to tail. Not much farther . . . not much farther . . . not much . . . '' “Pathteller!” A sharp voice roared her name from somewhere ahead of her. Her midnight-black eyes squinted into the snow, but she saw nothing but white. “Pathteller!” The voice called out again, barely audible as the wind swept away the yell. Suddenly, she found herself staring into a pair of hard blue eyes. They were the color of ice, pale white-blue. They bore into her gaze, cold and unfriendly. “Pathteller,” the IceWing repeated. “I never thought I would see you here again.” She must have jumped, since a cruel smile flickered across the IceWing’s snout, and his eyes glinted with amusement. “Frightened you, did I, Pathteller?” he remarked, and Pathteller couldn’t help but be reminded of a cocky dragonet. “Did you not ''foresee my appearance?” Pathteller arched her neck regally and stared down at the ice dragon. “I prefer to apply my foresight when I am somewhere private, not when I am traveling through this wasteland where any of you inferior ice dragons could be lurking- er, that is to say, in your territory near your tribe. My visions are NightWing business.” “Then why are you here?” the IceWing demanded, his forked blue tongue flicking between sharp white teeth. Pathteller glanced around quickly. “I must speak with your queen. This is important. I-” She was cut off as the roar of the wind increased, drowning her words. “Come. We will discuss this somewhere more sheltered.” The IceWing’s serrated claws gripped Pathteller’s shoulder none too gently, and he half guided, half dragged, her to a cirque, the valley top bent inward to form a narrow roof above their heads. The IceWing perched atop a randkluft and eyed Pathteller suspiciously. “What is it you want?” he growled at her, his claws grinding against the ice as he flexed them. "I wish to speak with your queen," Pathteller told him stiffly. "What is it you want to tell her, NightWing?" he demanded, eyes narrowed. Pathteller glowered at him. “I will share this to your queen and no other dragon,” she responded stubbornly. “Take me to her.” "Alas," the IceWing began, a smile briefly splitting his snout. "Our queen is conducting serious business that does not concern you." He tapped his claws against the ice, sending an echo across the barren landscape. "But surely you foresaw that?" he added. "Or are you blind to any information spare some vague rhymes and possibility of death?" The NightWing hissed angrily. "My visions show me the truth! It is a burden that I must carry. And with this burden, I have seen your fate!" "Our fate has nothing to do with you. And your visions have nothing to do with us. IceWings walk alone, Pathteller, and we survive whatever happens," snarled the IceWing in reply. "Your brain is full of feathers." Frustration coursed through Pathteller, and she lashed out at the IceWing, baring her teeth in a bitter snarl. "I have no time for this! This is urgent, you intellectually challenged excuse for a dragon! Take me to your palace or I'll rip you to shreds on the spot!" The ice dragon growled a warning. "You are in no place to make threats, Pathteller." He spoke slowly, exhaling a trace of icy frostbreath with his words. Freezing death-breath. One breath of it can kill you. ''Pathteller recalled the lessons on IceWings from when she was a dragonet in school. The IceWing hissed again, clearly threatening her. The observation was enough to infuriate Pathteller even more. Smoke wreathed around her horns, melting the tiny ice crystals the frostbreath had formed. "Take me to your palace," she rumbled, suppressing the heat gathering in her chest. "Now. The future of your tribe depends on it." The IceWing fixed her with a glittering glare, but heaved a sigh and rose to his talons. "Follow, then, and try not to get lost." He leaped back up into the wind and the snow. Pathteller shivered as she spread her star-speckled wings, launching herself after him. A sharp piece of hail struck the edge of her snout, and she jerked back, wincing. "What is the matter?" the IceWing growled impatiently, turning to face her. "We don't have all day, NightWing. You'll move quickly . . . that is, unless you choose to be left to the patrols. They will not be as merciful as I." Pathteller wondered how he could possibly see anything. All she could see was white, snowfields and icecaps spreading as far as she could see. She flapped her wings harder, an attempt to both keep warm and catch up with the IceWing, who was gliding ahead nimbly. The wind battered her, nearly knocking her off course as she struggled to keep up. "Here we are," he announced at last, descending onto a crag peeking out of the snow. Pathteller forced herself not to sigh in relief. That would show weakness, which she could not exhibit in front of this IceWing. ''I am the superior here, ''she reminded herself. Pathteller folded her aching wings against her sides and tilted her head upward to gaze at the palace. It was magnificent, although she would never admit that aloud. Twisting spires of frozen water formed lofty towers, all laden with jagged icicles and glittering with reflected shine. For the first time, Pathteller could see the iridescence in the ice as the arctic light danced off of it- blue, green, purple. It was breathtaking, but Pathteller forced a skeptical expression onto her snout. "This is the palace?" The IceWing did not reply, but herded her towards the entrance. Two IceWings flanked the massive opening, clutching pointed spears. They aimed the weapons at Pathteller's chest as she approached, and the IceWing appeared in no hurry to call them off. At last, he pushed in front of Pathteller, a chill radiating from his white scales. "She is here to see the queen." "And you're letting her?" demanded a silver IceWing, narrowing his eyes. "Sounds like a trap to me. Why don't you kill her?" "I will, if it comes to that," the IceWing guarding her replied, lashing his whiplike tail. The spiked tip of it caught Pathteller's ear and left a stinging cut. "Hmm. You should be more cautious, Gelid," warned the other IceWing, a lithe pale blue female. But she stepped aside, and, after a moment, the silver IceWing did as well. Gelid dipped his head to each of them before leading Pathteller into the palace. If anything, it was even colder inside. Pathteller shivered, staring at the drab, icy gray walls. She wrapped her wings around herself, and couldn't stop her teeth from chattering. The sound echoed around the halls. "Come." Gelid, who had started down a hallway to her left, was looking back at her in a mock-pitying way. She glowered darkly back and started after him, trying to hide how much she felt like turning tail and flying back to the Night Kingdom. As she trailed after Gelid, claws clacking against the icy floor, she closed her eyes, recalling her vision. ''I don't know what it means. . . fire and death. . .only one thing is for sure...we must unite with this arrogant ice dragons....it may be the only chance for both of us. The vision flashed briefly before her eyes once more, and she gave a shudder that had nothing to do with the piercing chill of the air. She followed Gelid as he turned a corner, then another. IceWing guards eyed her suspiciously as she passed, and she snapped at those who peered too closely. "The queen is currently speaking with someone. You will wait here," ordered Gelid as they entered a chilly cave. Pathteller scraped her claws against the floor. "How long? I'll freeze to death if-" "Oh, yes, that would be a shame," interrupted Gelild bitterly. "It should only be for a short amount of time." Category:Collaborations Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Fanon) Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)